Though the summer sun still shines here in North Texas, we at DFW Style Daily are looking forward. Today, our F/W 2014 Trending series continues with key fashion trends for the season to come. Take note, and you’ll be ahead of the style curve come fall.

 

  What do Adam and Eve, Tarzan and Jane, ‘50s Pin-ups, ‘70s rockers, and ‘90s supermodels all have in common? Leopard prints. The only staple print, next to nautical stripes, that can be counted upon to return to runways with regularity, this is one walk on the wild side that never ends.  

  Fashion’s relationship with leopard-inspired motifs can be traced through centuries of style. Once a symbol of wealth and status, royalty and nobility flaunted the animal print, just as mounted trophies decorated walls. As time progressed, the print was no longer reserved for people of privilege, but it has always signified a powerful personality.  

  Indeed, from musicians to models to the creations of couture designers, not a decade has gone by in modern fashion history which hasn’t kept leopard alive. For Fall 2014, we see the trickle-down affect of this trend in full force, with plentiful picks in the purrfect print available from runways to boutiques to big box retailers. Read on for designer inspiration and two buy-it-now finds. Choose a head-to-toe statement, or just a spot of leopard:  

On The Runway

      Givenchy                           Céline                           Laurel                           Marc Cain                           Tom Ford                        

Shop The Trend

 

Left: Violeta Leopard Print Wool Coat ($300, Mango); Right: Marais Angora Leopard Print Beret ($35, Nasty Gal)

  Additional research by Natalie Starnes for RSC Show Productions. Inset top images feature Ava Gardner in Christian Dior c. 1954; Rod Stewart on the cover of Rolling Stone, 1973; Azzedine Alaïa Fall Ad Campaign, 1991. All additional images via individual designers and retailers.